


A Night to Remember

by KatMotif



Category: RWBY
Genre: Dinner, First Dates, Fluff, Hints of JNPR Berries, I just want them to be okay and happy together, Jaune Cooks, Just a little Pyrrha angst, Multi, Past Arkos, Polyamorous JNR, Polyamory, Post V8, Renorarc, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Slow Dancing, dressing up, v8 speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28022928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatMotif/pseuds/KatMotif
Summary: Everything tonight had to go perfectly, Jaune decided. He wanted to show Ren and Nora how much the two of them meant to him, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of not showing the ones he loved how he felt again.(Post V8 Renorarc w/ some speculation and missing Pyrrha (Past Arkos/Hinted Possible JNPR Berries)
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	A Night to Remember

Everything tonight had to go perfectly, Jaune decided. He wanted to show Ren and Nora how much the two of them meant to him, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of not showing the ones he loved how he felt again. A part of him wished it was the four of them, but now was not the night for him to wallow in his grief; she wouldn’t want him to, after all. He just wanted to make tonight special for the man and woman he loved more than anything; his teammates, newfound lovers, who had brought him into their relationship after realizing they loved him as well as each other. He loved them, too, trying desperately to bury those feelings until they showed him they were returned.

And he loved them both so much. He loved Nora’s boundless energy and giant heart, the way she had so much power in such a small body (and how cute it was to tease her about being so short, how she blushed and pouted and countered with half-hearted insults about his height). He loved Ren’s kind heart, how once he’d stopped bottling all his emotions he finally allowed himself to feel, to smile that gorgeous smile of his that Jaune couldn’t understand how not everyone had fallen for him. They had been through so much together that he thought they’d be happy with just each other, that despite his own feelings for them both, there would be no place for him besides being their leader.

Yet, as they’d told him, it was him that held them both together; their  _ missing piece _ , as Nora had put it. They weren’t two halves of a whole, but two thirds; Jaune had been that last third they felt they needed to be whole. (Yet there was a part of Jaune who felt, probably would always feel, like there was a missing piece they could never get back. He knew they would likely agree, they missed her too, but he wasn’t going to just bring her up.) They loved him, and he loved them back, and he was going to do everything he could to make them both happy.

Jaune wasn’t quite as good of a cook as Ren was, but during their travels he did manage to pay enough attention to what Ren did to have a better idea than he’d had when he left home. Some simple noodles with some meat and veggies was simple enough for the clumsy blonde to pull off on his own. He was careful to make sure the meat was cooked properly (he burned a few but he’d just eat them himself because he liked it that way anyway) and that the noodles weren’t overcooked. He’d even managed to get his hands on some sparkling apple cider (in place of some fancy champagne or wine) and some plastic wine glasses.

In the room was a table just big enough for the three of them, with nice plates and cutlery. There were three chairs around the small table, and in the center of the table was a small vase with red lilies sitting directly under the dim lighting. He’d even dressed a bit more nicely, a black button up shirt in place of his hoodie, tucked into his jeans. His shortened hair was neatly combed back and gelled down.

But no amount of preparation could get that pesky lump out of his throat, could still the quickened pace of his heart. He had never done anything like this before, and he was nervous. He must have wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans more times than he could count, and he kept looking at the clock over the stove; he’d told them to meet him here at 7:30pm, which was steadily creeping up on him, the time being 7:25. 

“I’m a bit early, sorry.” He nearly jumped out of his skin when Ren’s voice suddenly spoke behind him. He turned to the other man, and Jaune suddenly found himself breathless. Ren’s recently cropped hair was still long enough to be tied back, a short, high ponytail at the back of his head, but his bangs were still loose, though brushed away from his face. Ren’s button up shirt was green with a golden lotus pattern etched into it, tucked into some black slacks and a belt (Jaune had a feeling he’d had help picking this outfit out, he was sure, this must be Weiss’ doing), a few buttons left undone enough to show his collar bone. Jaune looked up into dark pink eyes that met his but darted away, Ren’s tan cheeks reddening a bit.

“I’m not used to you looking at me like that.” Ren admitted, stammering.

“Well, I’m not used to you looking stunning like this.” Jaune replied, trying his best to feign enough confidence to flirt. It seemed to work, Ren smiling softly at him and returning to his gaze again.

“It’s a bit...different than what I usually wear, admittedly. But I am told this would be appropriate.” Ren said, rubbing his neck with one hand. Jaune was a bit relieved; at least they were both nervous.

“Come here.” He sighed, offering a hand to Ren. Ren accepted and allowed Jaune to pull him close, to place his hands on his back. Ren hesitantly placed his own hands on Jaune’s chest, looking down a bit.

“You’re really beautiful, Ren.” Jaune spoke softly, leaning down a bit and pressing his forehead into the other man’s. Ren’s breath hitched at the closeness, but he looked up at Jaune expectedly.

“You’re not half bad yourself.” Ren whispered. Jaune smiled a bit before leaning a bit further down, pressing his lips against Ren’s. Ren let out his breath through his nose and hummed a bit, his hands raising to the back of Jaune’s head, running through his hair.

“Gosh I love watching you two kiss.” Nora’s voice called out from the hallway. The two boys broke apart, chuckling for a moment before they’d both caught sight of their girlfriend. Pale pink lace adorned her arms up to the shoulders then dipped around her chest, leading to a short pink dress with a frilly skirt that cut off just above Nora’s knees. Her hair was it’s usual styling save a headband that kept Nora’s bangs back from her face; she was even wearing a bit of makeup, eyeshadow and lipstick being the most evident.

Realizing they’d both been staring, it was her turn to look down from their gazes and blush, shuffling her knees a bit, grinning. They both walked over, pulling her into the room and each of them wrapping an arm around her waist. In the dim lighting it was easier to see her newly acquired scarring, though much paler now than it had been; not something she was the least bit ashamed of, as Nora had always had an unconventional sense of beauty anyway.

“You look stunning.” Ren complimented first, being the first to lean down and give their girlfriend a kiss. Nora giggled into the kiss, her fingers reaching up and curling into his ponytail. Jaune smiled; once watching the two of them kiss had made him feel things that were uncomfortable; jealousy, loneliness. But now he loved to see it, loved to see how much the two people he loved also loved each other.

“Gorgeous.” Jaune added once it was his turn, leaning down a bit more than Ren had to (Nora was basically a foot shorter than him), thankful that Nora met him halfway and that she’d been wearing heels. Nora’s kisses were a bit more forceful than Ren’s, but Jaune loved that juxtaposition between them; their differences balanced each other out, after all. He liked to think he was a medium between the two, at least some of the time.

“It smells really good in here.” Nora mused once her kiss with Jaune had ended, “And not like you set the kitchen on fire like the last time you tried cooking by yourself.”

“That was at Beacon!” Jaune defended himself from Nora’s teasing with equal playfulness, “I had no idea what I was doing.”

“I’ve taught you well, then.” Ren mused softly, kissing Jaune’s cheek, causing the taller man to blush.

“Who better to learn from?” Jaune responded, smiling. Nora’s giggling spread to her boys until they were all laughing softly.

“Come on, let’s sit down and eat then.”

“That was really good, honey.” Nora complimented after the meal; the three of them taking their time with the meal with soft conversation till it was finished. Jaune was inwardly thankful he’d made just enough for the three of them, he always felt guilty about making too much and either making himself sick trying not to leave too much leftovers or having leftovers that would be forgotten about until being thrown out. They both seemed to enjoy it, too, which inspired a bit of pride.

“Very good, Jaune. Thank you.” Ren added, smiling softly. Jaune blushed as the compliments mounted

“Hey, I wanted to be good to my baes, that’s all.” Jaune stammered, looking up a bit. They cleaned the table and continued to sit together after, their hands meeting on the table, each holding another’s hand. Ren’s hand was in Jaune’s left, and Nora’s in his right, both of them had painted nails (Ren’s black and Nora’s blue).

“So...why red lilies?” Nora asked, looking at the centerpiece. 

“They symbolize passion,” Ren explained, knowing a great deal about flower symbolism as one of his interests outside of their work as huntsmen. 

“I mean, that’s good, but that’s not exactly...why.” Jaune spoke softly, staring at the flowers. It took a moment for it to sink into his lover’s minds.

“...oh.” Nora said softly, looking down into her lap for a moment. Ren’s smile lost some of it’s luster but didn’t fade completely. Ren’s hand squeezed Jaune’s.

“She...would be a part of this too. You know that, right?” He said. Nora looked back up, nodding.

“Of course she would. We…” she paused, pulling back her hand from Jaune’s for a second to carefully wipe her eyes. “We loved her. We loved her, too.”

“I know.” Jaune spoke, smiling as Nora again took his hand. “She would want us to be happy. She would tell us so, I’m sure of it.”

“She would. So let’s enjoy ourselves.” Ren added. Nora nodded again and Jaune smiled. Jaune let go of their hands and slowly got up, walking to the side of the room. On a console table against a wall was his scroll, plugged into a borrowed speaker. He started playing soft music just loud enough to fill the room.

“Would you two like to dance?” Jaune asked. Nora sat up first, excitedly bouncing on her feet as always.  
“Yeah I would! Ren?” She answered, turning to her partner, who smiled and nodded as he too rose to his feet. They walked over to Jaune with their hands linked together, their free hands meeting each of his again. Gradually they went from gently swaying with their hands linked and twirling to dancing closer, arms wrapped around each other’s waists. Nora discarded her heels eventually, and even took to standing on the feet of each of her boyfriends; she wasn’t too heavy, so they didn’t mind. The only sound was soft laughter and the music, three lovers dancing together in the dimly lit apartment room. 

Jaune smiled wider than he had in a long while; things had been rough for quite a while, with their helping their friends save the world. These moments, as few and far apart as they seemed to be these days, meant everything to Jaune. He wanted to have as many happy memories with the ones he loved as he could, especially if things were going to go to hell again, especially if he wouldn’t always have them. He didn’t want to even think about losing either of them or even both of them; he’d lost love once before, going through it again might kill him.

“Something on your mind?” Ren breathed, calling Jaune back into the moment. The two men had encircled their girlfriend, who stood on Jaune’s feet with her arms around his neck, Ren’s arms around Jaune’s waist. Jaune’s hands touched each of their heads and he looked between the two of them tenderly.

“Nothing. I just…” Jaune took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I love the both of you. I love you two so much, and I…”  
“Don’t think about it,” Nora whispered, leaning up and kissing Jaune’s chin, “Don’t let your mind go to what could happen. Stay here, with us. Where we are right now.”  
“Please,” Ren added, pleading in his voice, pressing his forehead against Jaune’s, “It’s bad enough when _I_ do that.”

“Believe me, I know.” Jaune said, chuckling a bit, “The last time you’d pointed out that I cheated my way into Beacon.”

“You did not!” Nora softly gasped, carefully turning in their arms so now she was facing Ren and standing on his feet, reaching up and pinching his cheek.

“Ouch. I am still sorry about that, of course,” Ren murmured, glaring down at Nora playfully before looking back up at Jaune. “I was...frustrated, I had no place bringing that up at a time like that. Especially since you’ve improved so much since then.”

“I know you didn’t mean it. I was never upset at you. Especially since I’ve gone too far with things I’ve said before, too.” Jaune murmured, leaning up slightly to kiss Ren’s forehead. Ren sighed, leaning his head onto Jaune’s shoulder.

“I love you.” He said softly. Jaune wrapped his arms around them both.

“I love you too. Both of you.” Jaune whispered.

“I love you two too, even if you are squishing me a little.” Nora said, wrapping her arms around Ren’s neck as the two of them loosened their hold to give her some room.

“Sorry, Nora.” Jaune said.

“Sorry, sorry.” Ren said, a bit more teasing in his voice as he leaned down and gave Nora’s forehead a peck. She giggled and snuggled closer into Ren.  
“You can come a _little_ closer, Jauney.” Nora purred, and Jaune smiled and brought them both a little closer, resting his chin atop Nora’s head.

“You’re both so warm. I like being close like this.” Nora purred. Both the boys chuckled for a bit.

Inevitably, the playlist Jaune had made just for tonight finally reached its end. The three of them slowly realized how achey their feet had gotten, but they didn’t seem to care. They all still had their arms wrapped around each other.

“You guys wanna go to bed? To sleep, I mean.” Jaune stammered, blushing at his own phrasing for a moment.

“Mmmhmm. All this dancing sure made me sleepy.” Nora agreed.

“Indeed.” Ren added. Once Jaune and Ren did the dishes and Nora cleared the table, the three of them walked to the room they shared; in this temporary housing there had only been so many beds. There was a room with a bed big enough for the three of them, so that’s the one they took. The moonlight shined bright enough that turning on the lamp on the one bedside table was unneeded. Nora grabbed her pajamas from her bag.  
“Be right back, boys.” She said with a wink as she sauntered into the bathroom. Jaune chuckled a bit, realizing that Ren was already changing. He shyly turned away; while having seen each other in varying states of undress before, Jaune and Ren had become shyer around each other since entering into a relationship.  
“I’m done.” Ren said after a moment, already in pajama bottoms that were half of a set, green with pink lining, and an old t-shirt of Jaune’s that no longer fit. Jaune sighed and changed into a t-shirt and shorts. Nora eventually came out of the bathroom with the top half of the flannel pajamas Ren was wearing the bottoms to and shorts of her own. Once they’d all brushed their teeth and hair they all settled into bed together; Jaune in the middle on his back, Nora curling up on his left, Ren on his right. They both lay their heads on his chest, listening to his steadying heartbeat.

“Goodnight.” Nora yawned, slowly falling asleep; she was always the first to.

“Night.” Ren murmured second.

“Goodnight.” Jaune whispered, rubbing both of their backs and pulling them a bit closer. “I love you.”

“We love you too.” Ren replied.

“Mmmhmm.” Nora added. The other two drifted off to sleep before Jaune, who stared at the ceiling holding his two lovers close.

_ And if you’re watching over us, Pyrrha...we love you, too. _


End file.
